Patient Preference and Adherence (Sep 2021)

Evaluation of Post-Vaccination Symptoms of Two Common COVID-19 Vaccines Used in Abha, Aseer Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

  • Adam M,
  • Gameraddin M,
  • Alelyani M,
  • Alshahrani MY,
  • Gareeballah A,
  • Ahmad I,
  • Azzawi A,
  • Komit B,
  • Musa A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 15
pp. 1963 – 1970

Abstract

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Mohamed Adam,1 Moawia Gameraddin,2 Magbool Alelyani,1 Mohammad Y Alshahrani,3 Awadia Gareeballah,2 Irshad Ahmad,4 Abdulrahman Azzawi,5 Basem Komit,6 Alamin Musa1 1Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Diagnostic Radiologic Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Aseer, Saudi Arabia; 5Medical City, King Khalid University, Abha, Aseer, Saudi Arabia; 6Medical Imaging Department, Aseer Central Hospital, Ministry of Health, Abha, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mohamed AdamDepartment of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Aseer, Saudi ArabiaEmail [email protected]: The Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) and the Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) COVID-19 vaccines have shown promising safety and acceptability. However, COVID-19 vaccine side effects play an essential role in public vaccine confidence. We aimed to study the side effects of these COVID-19 vaccines.Methods: A randomized, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between March and May of 2021. In total, 330 participants among the King Khalid University community in the Aseer region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported their side effects following the COVID-19 vaccine. A questionnaire was designed and validated to collect the participants’ demographic data and COVID-19-related symptoms after COVID-19 vaccine injection.Results: Symptoms associated with COVID-19 were reported by 226 participants (68.5%). The most common side effects reported by the participants were fever (n = 136, 41.2%), fatigue (n = 119, 36.1%), headache (n = 86, 24.2%), malaise (n = 121, 36.7%), myalgia (n = 121, 36.7%), and muscle and joint pain (n = 76, 23%). Of the participants, 5.1% became infected with COVID-19 after vaccination. Symptoms were significantly more common in males than in females (p = 0.006).Conclusion: The incidence of COVID-19 vaccination side effects in the Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was consistent with the manufacturers’ data. The most common post-vaccination symptoms reported by the participants were fever, myalgia, malaise, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and headache. The results of this study showed significant variation in adverse events between Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. Healthcare providers and recipients of vaccines can be more confident about the safety of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.Keywords: COVID-19, vaccines, side effects, symptoms, Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca

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